Vrouwenarbeid in de Vroegmoderne Tijd in Nederland
Ariadne Schmidt
Women's work in the early modern Netherlands
This article first gives an overview of the context and the main research questions
concerning female labour market participation in the Dutch Republic by introducing
the research project on women's work. Then, it outlines the historiography
of women's work and discusses new approaches. The history of women's
work has long been described in terms of continuity or change of the position of
women on the labour market. Yet, this context seems to be too limited to describe
and explain women's labour market participation. Recent research, as well as the
contributions to this volume, suggest that more is to be expected from local and regional
studies, a comparative perspective, and attention for different groups of
women. It is important to enlarge our empirical knowledge and integrate gender
to get a better understanding of the early modern labour market.
Tussen norm en praktijk.
Een terreinverkenning over het juridische statuut van vrouwen
in het zestiende-eeuwse Antwerpen
Laura Van Aert
Between standard and practice. A survey on the legal position of women in
Antwerp in the sixteenth century
By investigating sixteenth-century laws and regulations and various legal documents
(lawsuits, contracts and testaments) we aim to identify and explain variations
in the legal position of women in early modern Antwerp in comparison with
the Northern Provinces of the Netherlands. In every day practice the prescribed
'incapable' legal status of Antwerp women - irrespective of their age or marital
status - seemed to be less strictly applied. Also, the position of women in everyday
legal actions did barely differ from women's position in the Northern provinces.
This also applied to the exceptional position of merchant women, who were considered
legally capable. Women were not merely the 'carriers' of property, but they
were in fact 'creators' of property. Furthermore, widows acted as privileged protectors
of their children and the family finances. The differences between theory and
practice were connected with the importance of the nuclear family in sixteenthcentury
Antwerp; in order to maintain and preserve family units women were
allowed to obtain legal competences.
Vrouwenarbeid in de Zeeuwse landbouw in de achttiende eeuw
Piet van Cruyningen
Female labour in agriculture in Zeeland in the eighteenth century
Agriculture in the province of Zeeland was dominated by large commercial
cereal farms. Farmer's wives were not only responsible for the household but also
for the relatively small dairy branch and for the garden and orchard. They had
the disposal of the income from these activities, which gave them a relatively independent
position within the farming enterprise. They successfully defended
this position when attempts were made to remove dairying from the farm to the
factory. The wives of the numerous labourers were also employed on the farm,
but only as seasonal workers. Consequently, their economic position was very
weak, and during the winter season especially they had to make ends meet by
spinning, cleaning or washing.
Zeemansvrouwen aan het werk.
De arbeidsmarktpositie van vrouwen in Maassluis, Schiedam
en Ter Heijde (1600-1700)
Annette de Wit
Working seamen's wives. The position on the labour market of women in
Maassluis, Schiedam and Ter Heijde (1600-1700)
In seafaring communities in the Dutch Republic women were in majority
throughout the year, as the male population worked at sea. Due to the low and irregular
incomes of their husbands, most wives of sailors and fishermen had to
work, in order to survive. Many women worked in the trade and industry connected
to shipping. Their possibilities were limited by local laws and guild-regulations
and their husband's work, social rank and income all were important for
their chances on the labour market. Women often combined several jobs. In the
cause of the seventeenth century the position of women on the local labour market
worsened due to changes within the shipping and fishing industries. At the same
time wives of sailors and fishermen kept on contributing to the family-income by
combining different kinds of labour.
Verandering en continuïteit in de arbeid van vrouwen.
Keetvrouwen en molendraaisters en het huiselijkheidsideaal, 1750-1900
Myriam Everard
Changes and continuity in women's labour. Women in the saltworks and
the diamond industry and the cult of domesticity
This article considers the history of women's labour in two industries that did
employ women at the very least since the seventeenth century: the saltworks and
the diamond industry. By tracing changes in employment patterns from 1800
onwards, the author shows that, until the very end of the nineteenth century,
fluctuations in the labour market participation of women cannot be explained
by a rising cult of domesticity, or separate spheres.
Toonbeelden van huiselijkheid of arbeidzaamheid?
De iconografie van de spinster in relatie tot de verbeelding van arbeid
en beroep in de vroegmoderne Nederlanden
Annette de Vries
Paragons of domesticity or diligence? The iconography of the spinner as
related to the representation of labour and profession in the early modern
Low Countries
Working women were a common feature of early modern life. Contrary to their
male counterparts who figure rather frequently in the visual arts of the early
modern Low Countries, working women did hardly spark the imagination of
contemporary artists. To learn something of the societal notions about working
women this articles explores the iconography of the spinner in the visual arts of
that time and relates it to the changing concept of work and its visual representation.
It concludes that images of spinners can be considered as representations of
diligence (including domestic diligence) rather than - as is usually the case - as
merely representations of domesticity.
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